Book Review: Reformation Myths by Rodney Stark

Reformation Myths: Five Centuries of Misconceptions and (Some) Misfortunes by Rodney Stark

2017 was the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant movement when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of a Wittenberg church. While a lot of books and conferences celebrated the five centuries, this book (published in 2017) seeks to demythologize and debunk a lot of the assumptions about the impact and the benefits of the Protestant Reformation.

Stark covers a lot of topics, the most interesting of which (to me) was his analysis of church attendance. He shows that before the Reformation, church attendance was hardly universal or strictly observed. Since the Catholic Mass was in Latin, many churchgoers had a hard time knowing what was going on and were easily distracted. Sadly, even with the coming of vernacular liturgies, local people still did not necessarily become more faithful or even more attentive. In most Protestant countries, the laws required church attendance (which was only spottily enforced) and taxes paid for both the ministers and religious education, since the state was now dictate what religion was observed by the people. The results were less than spectacular. Ministers drawing a government salary didn't have a lot of incentive to minister well. If they did a poor job preaching or giving spiritual advice, they still got the same pay. This system is what Stark blames for the dire state of Christianity in Europe. Without competition or even a need to perform well, is it any wonder that people are uninterested in what their local clergy has to say or offer? Stark brings out a lot of interesting nuances on the perils of a tight church-state relationship.

He also discusses ideas like the Protestant work ethic and scientific boom credited to 17th- and 18th-century Protestants. Sociologist Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism became a sacred text in social sciences, where Weber argued that the Protestant notions of success and frugality combined to produce capitalism. Stark shows quite clearly that the roots of capitalism are much earlier and can be seen growing out of the pre-Reformation monasteries where any wealth generated was reinvested in the land or the works of the monastery. Weber's book was debunked almost immediately after its publication in 1905 but the myth beat the reality. Similarly, the idea that Catholicism was opposed to scientific and intellectual advancement is mystifying given the invention of the universities in the turn of the first millennium. Even in the so-called Enlightenment, equal numbers of Catholics and Protestants in Europe contributed scientific advancements. While science did flourish in the 1600s and 1700s, it was hardly because of Protestant motivations.

The book is a little polemical at times. Considering how deeply entrenched some prejudices and misconceptions are, his style is easy to understand. He has definitely done his research. The bibliography runs seventeen pages! The ideas are interesting and engaging, so the book is well worth reading. At under 200 pages, it does not take long either.

Highly recommended.

Hershey Park December 2023

We made a quick, two-day trip up to Hershey. We stayed at the Hershey Lodge (which will get its own post) and went for a short day (noon to about 6 p.m.; it was open from noon to 9 p.m.) at the park. Amazingly, lots of rides were open over the Christmas holiday period, though obviously not the water rides. Pennsylvania gets chilly in the winter! A free shuttle from the Lodge took us to the park just as it was opening.

First view of the park

Our first ride, for the more adventurous members of the family, was Candymonium, the newest rollercoaster at the park. I was very excited and not at all disappointed. It's a steel rollercoaster completed in 2020 with a top speed of 76 mph. One ten-year old behind us was crying when he got off the ride. I am glad we didn't make our nine-year old ride (he went with Mom to gentler rides like the carousel and tilt-a-whirl).

The sign and myself

The end and the beginning of the ride

I was delighted to see a Nativity scene in the park. Yay Christmas!

The reason for the season

One of the pavilions was set up as a "Visit Santa" station but since we went on December 30th, jolly old Saint Nick was nowhere to be found. All the decorated trees was fun to look around.

My kids don't believe in Santa anyway

On our way from Candymonium, we spotted Mom and the youngest on the Tilt-a-Whirl.

Enjoying the ride

Our next experience was Reese's Cupfusion, which had a long line (we waited about an hour). Each car in the ride has four chairs, each with a "power gun" either for powering up the Reese's factory through which we rode or for stunning (not killing) the bad guys in the factory who were trying to cause mayhem. The bad guys had their own story: They are reject candies (they didn't pass Quality Control) and want to wipe out the good candies so they'd have a chance on the market.

The good and the bad (who is also ugly)

The ride records scores at the end, which was interesting. None of us made it into the Hall of Fame.

Mom had to ride with others

Next, we went to the Hershey Triple Tower which takes riders high up into the air and then drops them. The trip has some smaller surprises but is fun and gives a good view from the top. I did not take pictures from the top because I did not want to lose my phone!

At the base

The Three Towers

The oldest kids and I went on the highest, leaving Mom and the youngest to ride the middle tower. The lowest tower wasn't running (not enough customers). Mom eventually bailed out on our youngest, who rode bravely alone.

Strapping in

About to ascend

After that intense experience, we walked over to the Twin Turnpike Speedway for some calmer action.

A decorous route

Driving the speedway

Dad and youngest

Eldest driving on his own

Another Christmas decoration in the park

Looking for a nine-year-old appropriate coaster, we rode the Cocoa Cruiser, which is not very death-defying but still enjoyable. A lot of families were riding it thanks to the lower height requirements.

We saw this as we got on

Cocoa Cruisin'!

It started to get dark so we went on one last ride, Pirate. It's one of those ships that swings back and forth, giving you the feeling of zero-gravity and maybe a queasy stomach. It was another fun ride.

The boat in dock

The poor saps in front of us in line!

By this point we were a bit exhausted and the Hershey Park App was saying the other rides we thought of riding had hour-long waits. We decided to go back to the Lodge for dinner.

More Christmas decor on the way out

Where we started is where we ended

Book Review: She-Hulk Vol. 1 by C. Soule et al.

She-Hulk Volume 1: Law and Disorder written by Charles Soule, storytelling by Javier Pulido and Ron Wimberly, and colors by Muntsa Vicente, Rico Renzi, and Ron Wimberly

She-Hulk, aka Jennifer Walters, is at a prestigious law firm and it's time for annual reviews. She's put in almost 3000 billable hours. She feels she's a lock for a raise and bonus. The partners have a different perspective--they wanted her to bring in some superhero business to expand their services. She likes to keep her superhero life and her legal life separate, so they part less than amicably. The law firm lets her take one file, the Blue File about a suit against her and a few other superheroes and villains. She-Hulk sets up her own practice, hoping to get everyday clients. While she's not on other cases, she'll look into the Blue File. Unfortunately, her first client is Doctor Doom's son. He wants political asylum in America rather than go back to Latveria and be his father's puppet. No other lawyers in town want the case, probably because of looming Doombots.

The story is entertaining enough. The art is a hodge-podge. It starts okay but the second artist doesn't have a good knack for drawing people and it becomes distracting. The overarching Blue File plot does not make some forward progress but not quite enough. Maybe it will pick up in the next issue?

Mildly recommended.

Movie Reviews: Abbott and Costello Sampler

A sampling of Abbott and Costello films from the 1940s...

Hit the Ice (1943) directed by Charles Lamont

Abbott and Costello are photographers trying to make a dime on the street when they accidentally join up with some bank robbers. The head bank robber has been pretending to be sick at a hospital across the street, where his doctor is a bit clueless about the situation but his nurse knows something is up. When they finally do the robbery, the crooks follow the doctor to an upstate winter resort where they plan to lay low. Abbott and Costello are accused of the robbery and head north to try and find some evidence to clear them (and also lay low).

The movie's plot seems more like a situation to hang comedy routines on rather than a compelling story. The boys have some typical comedic routines for them (verbal banter, physical comedy, comic abuse of each other). The resort has a big band traveling north with its leader knowing Abbott and Costello from their schooldays together (the doctor is also a chum from school). The band has a singer, Ginny Simms, who has a couple of gratuitous musical numbers which is also very typical of the comedy duo's films. The ice skating sequences are fun. The movie is entertaining but definitely B-quality for Abbott and Costello.

Mildly recommended.

In Society (1944) directed by Jean Yarbrough and Erle C. Kenton

The boys are plumbers just starting out. They get a break when they are called at the last minute to a mansion for a repair job during a fancy party. A quick taxi ride with their friend Elsie (Marion Hutton) gets them there. The party is a costume ball and the millionaire Peter Evans (Kirby Grant) comes dressed as a cab driver. Naturally he falls in with Elsie who tries to explain she really is a cab driver, not dressed up as one. Peter is smitten and won't let her go. The boys are upstairs having a hard time with the plumbing. Back at their shop the next day, shady character Drexel (Thomas Gomez) wants them to either pay back the thousand dollars they owe him or steal some valuables from the next mansion. They are accidentally invited to the next society party where (of course) Peter takes Elsie. A lot of comic misadventures and musical numbers ensue.

The plot is a little better thought out, even though it mirrors Hit the Ice. The comic routines are bigger (The bathroom repair and the Susquehanna Hat Company routines). They are in fine form with a more enjoyable romp. The final chase scene with an old-style fire truck is very impressive.

Recommended.

Here Come the Co-Eds (1945) directed by Jean Yarbrough

The boys are dime-a-dance escorts at a downtown club where Bud's cinematic sister Molly (Martha O'Driscoll) works too. They get fired from the job but she winds up with a scholarship to Bixby College, a women-only school. The dean (Donald Cook) takes a shine to Molly and agrees to hire Bud and Lou as caretakers. They are supervised by Johnson (Lon Chaney Jr.) who torments them as much as they torment him. The stuffy chairman of the board doesn't like a showgirl at the school but she is great at basketball, which leads their team to a big game where, with the right bet, they can win enough money to pay off the school's debts to the chairman and run the school in a more modern way like the dean wants.

The movie is the usual pastiche of skits and musical numbers. Lou has a nice scene trying to clean up a kitchen and becomes "one of the girls" to help win the basketball game at the finale. The movie gets enough laughs in but the musical numbers do feel shoe-horned in, with almost no connection to the story. 

Mildly recommended.

The Naughty Nineties (1945) directed by Jean Yarbrough

Bud is the main actor in a riverboat show while Lou works behind the scenes. It's the 1890s, the heyday of riverboat entertainment on the Mississippi. The boat runs into trouble when a trio of crooks swindles away majority ownership from the boat's captain and owner (Henry Travers). They want to make money off the boat by crooked gambling--before the sheriff catches up to them they will just sail on to the next town. Bud and Lou work hard to get the bad guys out and save the day.

The plot is pretty thin but provides plenty of oppportunities for comedy routines. This movie has the full version of the "Who's on First?" routine that is the most famous Abbott and Costello comedy sketch. Plenty of other comedic moments are also good, including "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" and a feather cake routine. The finale with a chase on the boat is very well executed and quite funny. The boys are back on top tier with this film.

Highly recommended--the "Who's on First?" routine is a classic of comedy.

TV Review: Loki Season 2 (2023)

Loki Season 2 (2023) created by Michael Waldron based on the character from Norse mythology and Marvel Comics

Apparently I never reviewed season one of Loki. It's a fun outing for the Norse god of mischief (Tom Hiddleston), where he gets involved with the Time Variance Authority (TVA). The TVA polices various timelines and other universes, making sure things go properly or at least don't get out of hand. Loki travels to different times and encounters other Lokis from other branches of the main timeline. Those other Lokis include an alligator version of himself! The most significant one is Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), who teams up with the Hiddleston Loki to stop whatever nefarious scheme the TVA is hiding. A big bad is hiding behind the scenes, manipulating realities for some purpose. Sylvie winds up killing the big bad, He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), a variant of Kang the Conqueror, a time-traveling baddie from the comic books. The ending of the season wasn't as good as the build-up to it.

In this second season, the TVA has run into trouble. The main timeline is branching more than usual, causing an overload in the Time Loom that is supposed to keep things running smoothly, presumably by weaving variant branches back into the "sacred timeline." Loki needs to get a group together to fix the problem, though convincing people like Sylvie of the plan's value is difficult. All the people that work at the TVA have been plucked from various timelines and don't remember their previous, normal lives. The TVA is a bit of a dystopian bureaucracy which Sylvie thinks is awful and doesn't mind if it collapses (thus, she killed its organizer in season 1). Some factions in the TVA want to take over, others want to fix the problem. Things get more complicated and out of hand. Even the god of mischief has a hard time sorting things out and getting them back in order. What exactly is the order they are supposed to be in anyway?

The show suffers from too much time travel. Loki involuntarily travels to other moments and places, which causes him agony and problems, though it does help with the narrative. Towards the end of the series, he gets control over it and uses it for what he thinks is good. Loki is persuasive and charming (Hiddleston is a master actor) but his transformation from selfish con artist to, ultimately, a self-sacrificing hero is not quite believable. The story creates problems and complications that are not very convincing, as if they want more problems to stretch out the story and give Loki time to change. 

The ending gives Hiddleston a chance to bow out much like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans did in Endgame. This isn't as great an ending for him as it was for them; Loki seems more like he's in a Purgatory burning off the consequences of his previous sins. I find that very satisfying but I don't think the creators of the show had that idea in mind.

Mildly recommended--Tom Hiddleston is great as usual but the story is a little too convoluted to be really satisfying.

Book Review: Socrates' Children Vol. II by Peter Kreeft

Socrates' Children Volume II Medieval Philosophers by Peter Kreeft

See my review of volume I here.

After the regular introduction to philosophy in general and justification for this series in particular, Kreeft covers numbers 34 to 54 of his 100 most important philosophers in the Western tradition. He starts off surprisingly with Saint John the Evangelist, who wrote the fourth gospel in the New Testament. John was a harbinger of things to come, not just theologically, but philosophically. To be more precise, he began the serious union of theology and philosophy that would dominate the Medieval period. 

Most of the philosophers in this period were Christians; most of them were theologians who used philosophy to help understand the Christian faith. The texts of Aristotle (except for his works on logic) were lost at the beginning of this period, leading to a dominance of the Platonic tradition. Resolving Platonic and Neo-Platonic theories with Christian teaching proved difficult, though St. Augustine did a masterful job reconciling the two in the late 300s and early 400s. In the 1100s, the texts of Aristotle came back to Europe by way of the Muslims (who had them in translation), creating a new need for a synthesis between the popular philosophy and Christian understanding. Thomas Aquinas stands as the best at uniting the two, taking the good things out of Aristotle to help explain and understand the Christian faith. Some theologians put more emphasis on Aristotle, leading to various dubious ideas like the "two truths" theory where what is known from philosophy sometimes contradicts what is known from Christian faith. To resolve the problem, thinkers posited that both were accurate in their own way, a not very satisfactory solution. The Medieval period wound down with William of Ockham's theory that there are no universals and that everything has its being in God. Moral goodness only comes from the divine fiat, not from the nature of reality, because there is no nature. All things are individuals, generalizations like "cat," "dog," or "human" do not exist in reality, but only Fifi and Fido and Frank. Ockham set up a lot of ideas that would get champions later on (probably in the next volume?).

The book is entertainingly written, with a nice blend of clarity and humor. Kreeft does a good job reviewing various people even when he disagrees with them (he even calls Ockham a villain!). Augustine and Aquinas, the two big thinkers from this period, get much longer descriptions. The others are reviewed in three to five pages. It is easy to ready for amateurs and a great review for those who have already studied philosophy.

Highly recommended.

2023 Book Review and 2024 Plans

My reading plan from last year worked out well. I finished the last book in early December, so it must have been just right. 

Here's the rundown...

Fiction--

• The Blazing World and Other Writings by Margaret Cavendish--reviewed here.
• The Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones--reviewed here.
• A bunch of books from A Good Story is Hard to Find Podcast
• Saint Thomas Aquinas by G. K. Chesterton--reviewed here. (Not fiction)
• The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells--reviewed here.
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde--reviewed here.
• Bearing False Witness by Rodney Stark--reviewed here. (Not fiction)

History--

• The Complete Writings of Thucydides--I gave this 40 pages and gave up, it just was not interesting enough.
• The Shadow of His Wings by Gereon Goldmann--reviewed here.
• The Pope and the Holocaust by Michael Hessmann--reviewed here.

Theology--

• The Sword of the Spirit by Msgr. John Steinmueller--reviewed here.
  
• Vibrant Paradoxes by Robert Barron--reviewed here.
• Selected Commentaries on the New Testament by Thomas Aquinas--reviewed here.

Philosophy--

• The 4 Dimensions of Philosophy by Mortimer J. Adler--reviewed here.
• The Republic of Plato translated by Allan Bloom--reviewed here.
• Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion by David Hume--reviewed here.
• On Liberty by John Stuart Mill--reviewed here.

Folklore/Mythology

• Northumberland Folk Tales by Rosalind Kerven--reviewed here.
• Scottish Folk Tales by various authors--reviewed here.
• Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston--reviewed here.
• The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton--Reviewed here.
• The Great Book of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by John Matthews--reviewed here.

Self-Improvement

• MicroShifts by Gary Jansen--reviewed here.
• Bringing Up Geeks by Marybeth Hicks--reviewed here.
• Get-It-Done Guy's 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More by Stever Robbins--reviewed here.
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey--reviewed here.

I have been getting a lot of graphic novels on Hoopla through my local library and some actual books from the library (and the occasional present or purchase). Here's this year's reads...

1. Hellboy: The Silver Lantern Club--reviewed here.
2. Giraffes on Horseback Salad--reviewed here.
3. One-Punch Man Volume 5--reviewed here.
4. One-Punch Man Volume 6--reviewed here.
5. Abe Sapien Volume 9--reviewed here.
6. Fantastic Four Masterworks Volume 2--reviewed here.
7. Hellboy: The Bones of Giants--reviewed here.
8. One-Punch Man Volume 7--reviewed here.
9. One-Punch Man Volume 8--reviewed here.
10. Batman: Gates of Gotham--reviewed here.
11. Daredevil: Born Again--reviewed here.
12. Ghost/Hellboy Special--reviewed here.
13. Uncanny X-Men: House of M--reviewed here.
14. One-Punch Man Volume 9--reviewed here.
15. One-Punch Man Volume 10--reviewed here.
16. Buffy '97--reviewed here.
17. B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 1--reviewed here.
18. Shuna's Journey--reviewed here.
19. One-Punch Man volume 11--reviewed here.
20. Hellboy and the B. P. R.D.: The Return of Effie Kolb and Others--reviewed here.
21. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 1--reviewed here.
22. Hellboy: Weird Tales--reviewed here.
23. The Librarian of Auschwitz--reviewed here.
24. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 2--reviewed here.
25. Spy x Family Volume 9--reviewed here.
26. Planet Hulk--reviewed here.
27. Peter Porker: The Spectacular Spider-ham--reviewed here.
28. Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham--reviewed here.
29. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 3--reviewed here.
30. Slam Dunk Volume 9--reviewed here.
31. Slam Dunk Volume 10--reviewed here.
32. Incorruptible Volume 1--reviewed here.
33. World War Hulk--reviewed here.
34. B.P.R.D. Ominbus Volume 2--reviewed here.
35. Batman Adventures: Batgirl In a League of Her Own--reviewed here.
36. A First Time For Everything--reviewed here.
37. Incorruptible Volume 2--reviewed here.
38. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Lost and Found--reviewed here.
39. B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 3--reviewed here.
40. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 4--reviewed here.
41. Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story--reviewed here.
42. Incorruptible Volume 3--reviewed here.
43. Tombs--reviewed here.
44. B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 4--reviewed here.
45. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 5--reviewed here.
46. Batman: One Bad Day: The Riddler--reviewed here.
47. Incorruptible Volume 4--reviewed here.
48. B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 5--reviewed here.
49. Incorruptible Volume 5--reviewed here.
50. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 6--reviewed here.
51. Batman: One Bad Day: Catwoman--reviewed here.
52. Incorruptible Volume 6--reviewed here.
53. British Paranormal Society: Time Out of Mind--reviewed here.
54. Batman: One Bad Day: Mr. Freeze--reviewed here.
55. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 7--reviewed here.
56. Incorruptible Volume 7--reviewed here.
57. Frankenstein: New World--reviewed here.
58. Batman Adventures: Cat Got Your Tongue?--reviewed here. 
59. Big Bangs and Black Holes--reviewed here.
60. Geiger--reviewed here.
61. Messenger: The Legend of Muhammad Ali--reviewed here.

I plan to get some more books off the shelf of opportunity in the new year. Here is the categorical breakdown...

Fiction--

• The Strain Volume 1 by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hagan
• The Strain Volume 2 by Guilermo del Toro and Chuck Hagan
• Star Trek: The New Voyages edited by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath
• Jennifer the Damned by Karen Ullo
• The Fall by Albert Camus (maybe this goes under philosophy?)
• Probably another bunch of books from A Good Story is Hard to Find Podcast 

History--

• Failure Is Not an Option by Gene Kranz
• A History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland by William Cobbett
• How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization by Thomas E. Woods, Jr. 
• Lincoln's Battle With God by Stephen Mansfield
• Reformation Myths by Rodney Stark

Theology--

• The Witness of Early Christian Women by Mike Aquilina
• Women of Hope: Doctors of the Church by Terry Polakovic
• Dark Passages of the Bible: Engaging Scripture with Benedict XVI and Thomas Aquinas by Matthew J. Ramage
• God or Nothing: A Conversation on Faith with Nicolas Diat by Robert Cardinal Sarah
• I saw Satan Fall Like Lightning by Rene Gerard
• Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture Volume VII: Psalms 1-50

Philosophy--

• Pensees by Blaise Pascal
• Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
• Philosophy of Democratic Government by Yves Simon
• Hooked on Philosophy: Thomas Aquinas Made Easy by Robert A. ODonnell
• How to Destroy Western Civilization and Other Ideas from the Cultural Abyss by Peter Kreeft
• Socrates' Children by Peter Kreeft

Folklore/Mythology

• Le Morte de Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory
• Mythology by Edith Hamilton

I will still read a lot of graphic novels available on Hoopla and through my local library. And the handful that I buy or are given as gifts!